Kurosaki, K
by Twilight Antediluvian
Summary: Meant to become a series of short stories interlaced, but not necessarily in order. This is the kind of story that will always be completed and always WIP, every chapter complete in its own right. Hitsu will only be the *second-most* important char.
1. Dearly Beloved Konso

_A/N: How come Rukongai isn't swamped with old people? Most die of old age, nowadays, after all. Maybe your age in Soul Society is determined by other factors. Gives me a sense of "If I Could Do It All Over Again". Would you live your life the same way if you could?_

This will be some short-stories. I don't know how many. I've started on two more, for now. I like the idea of building stuff on the same base, but not being forced to stick to timelines.

*

_**Kurosaki**__**, K.**_

**Year**: Soul Society Arc + 73

**Main ****Characters (in order of appearance)**: Matsumoto, Hitsugaya, Karin, Urahara, Hyorinmaru

*

_**Dearly Beloved Konso**_

Every time Matsumoto went out and about the town, people would look at her. In Seireitei they would stare because she was a fukutaichou. In Rukongai, they would stare because she was a Shinigami… and both in those places and the World of the Living they'd just stare at her chest.

The only man whose gaze never strayed that way was her taichou's. Except when she hugged him, of course. At first that had been a way of joking, as well as trying to check if he _really_ wouldn't crack sooner or later. He never had.

Then he had grown a bit, getting taller for every month that passed to the point where he needed to have a refit for his haori. It was ironic, really. He had _obviously_ started noticing girls on a more general level long ago, considering how he always blushed nowadays when she mentioned certain subjects. She didn't comment on this and apparently he rather wanted to believe she hadn't noticed. And still, he never even glanced at her chest, never made any indication that he secretly thought of her as more than a friend and colleague.

While he was still a boy, it had been cute to joke around with him. Then, as he grew, it had been a way of retaining the friendship they had always had, even as they faced those changes to their daily life that were brought on by his growth spurt. All along, for more than a hundred years, she had been certain he'd crack, that it was just a matter of time. He never had. She was starting to think that maybe, just maybe, he never would.

"_Matsumoto_, you sloth! You haven't even done your paperwork, have you?" It was more a habit than anything else.

"Ah, but taichou, I got an interesting note from Hinamori-fukutaichou an hour ago. It's for you."

"And you didn't think to come find me? Honestly, Matsumoto, you know my habits better than I do. What if it's important?"

"Don't worry taichou, it's just strange."

"You _read my note_?!"

"Yeah, yeah, do you want it or not?" She held it up in the air from where she was lying on the couch.

"Give that here." He snatched it from her fingers and opened it.

"So, what'll you do? It's a pretty interesting request. I have no idea how something like that came to be, but apparently Hinamori-chan thought that Kurosaki-taichou was way too busy settling in with Fifth to be bothered with it."

"A soul in Karakura town that refuses to pass over unless it gets to talk to… _Toushiro or Ichigo_?" He just stood there baffled.

"Yeah, technically it could be anyone, but since it's Karakura we all had a feeling it'd be you or Kurosaki, taichou."

"This is ridiculous, I don't have time for this."

"But aren't you _curious_? It's got to be someone you _know_, taichou, have you been _hiding_ stuff from me?" Hitsugaya directed an icy glare at his fukutaichou.

"I don't even know who it could be, Matsumoto, so don't start. I haven't been to the World of the Living for twenty years and last time was when Kurosaki died. It was purely ceremonial."

"But you did hang out with him until his funeral; sure you didn't pick up any old contacts while you were there?"

"Positive. If you have time to ask such questions, maybe there's a better use for your lazy…"

"Oh, taichou, is _that_ the time? I'm sorry, I've got a really important rendezvous, and I just _have_ to go!" Neither of them was fooled, they'd been playing that game for one hundred and fifty years now.

"Whatever. Don't get caught red-handed, like last time."

"Don't worry, taichou! And don't forget that you're going to the Real World at fifteen hundred hours to pick up that soul from Karakura!"

"_What_?!" Of course, she was already gone. Classic Matsumoto.

*

"Damn that Ichi. He'd better get here soon or I'll have his _hide_."

The old ghost woman was standing irritably outside the Urahara Shôten. The funny thing about this place was that the shopkeeper and his giant friend never grew old, even though their first young protégés had both long gone elsewhere to protect other parts of the country, maybe set up their own little shops.

"Would you please move aside, oba-san, I need to sweep this place." The girl was tiny and her glasses made her look meek, but the old ghost could feel the spirit pressure rolling off her in waves. Kisuke had always liked taking in strange people as helpers. This girl was the fourth "generation" she'd seen.

"Hold in your reiatsu properly, then," she muttered at the child as she fluttered over to another corner of the yard.

It had already been a week since that first Shinigami had attempted to perform konso on her. As if she'd just go off without saying goodbye to her twin sister. Only her demand that they send Ichi-nii or Toushiro had silenced him.

She hadn't thought of Toushiro for quite some time. He'd been there at Ichi's funeral, but obviously he hadn't recognised her. She'd been sixty-two. Last time before that she'd been thirty or forty. The only time they'd actually spoken she had been twelve, but he'd made a lasting impression. Now she was a venerable ghost, just turned eighty-five.

The senkai gate opened slowly, its light piercing the grey winter afternoon. A shadow shot out in shunpo, spending just a moment at the shop door to open it before the materialised storm-cloud proceeded inside. It hadn't been Ichi. Could've been Toushiro, she hadn't pinned down the feel of his reiatsu yet. It didn't matter. Her demand had only been a stalling tactic anyway.

"_Where is that bad-mannered ghost, you meddling schemer?_"

The 'bad-mannered ghost' fluttered curiously over to the doorway. She'd seen a lot in her life, but it wasn't every day you had the opportunity of watching a Shinigami taichou get upset in Kisuke-san's face.

When Karin died, Kisuke had been the best of friends. Yuzu was nice, but she wasn't ready to let go and she still only saw ghosts as heat-haze-like shadows, even after a lifetime with Ichi-nii around. Instead, spending time here with Kisuke and Tessai who both knew her and could actually _see_ her… well; that was much preferable.

"Oh hi, Toushiro. I was hoping they'd send Ichi-nii, really." Her words made the white-haired man spin around.

"Who are you?"

"Peh, I know we humans age differently than you Shinigami, but you don't have to be _rude_."

"Kurosaki-san, please, why don't you settle down and I'm sure we could all do well with something calming."

"_Kurosaki_?"

"Yeah, you moron. Why else would I ask for Ichi? It was mostly a ruse, really; that stupid Shinigami wouldn't let me say goodbye to Yuzu. He got _really_ pale when I dropped your names, though."

"Oba-san, you really should be nicer to people." The little girl with the glasses wasn't quite as meek as she seemed.

"Mind your own business, Mina. I was talking to Toushiro, not you. You shouldn't interrupt those who are older than you."

"Now, now, Karin-chan."

"Don't patronize me, old man," the grey-haired ghost bit back. A wave of reiatsu flowed through the room like the coming of a storm. "You may be stronger than me and thrice my age, but the next time you call me 'Karin-chan' I'll punch your face in."

"The years haven't softened you one bit, Kurosaki-san," Kisuke said jovially.

"Kurosaki Karin." Toushiro was still dumbstruck, even though he was hiding it well.

"Yeah. Should we get going? I've had pretty much all I can take of this ghost business."

"It's ghastly, I'm sure," Urahara injected with a grin.

"Stop your stupid jokes, old man," Karin growled. "Well, Toushiro?"

"I suppose." He loosened Hyorinmaru from his back and stood up.

It was a big moment, in a way. Death, as well as passing to the other side… the way she took it all so lightly reminded Toushiro why it was important that most humans didn't know about Shinigami.

"Come on, what are you waiting for?"

"Hm. You're awfully calm."

"It's not as if there's anything left here for me. Yuzu won't last much longer, I'm afraid. She'll be missed. Ichi's already on the other side. I never had any other family and I've had a lot of time to think about death. I suppose you all know what happens, but I'd really rather not know until I get there. I haven't had a good adventure in two score years. Now get on with it."

"Right. Be well." He pressed the base of Hyorinmaru's hilt against her incorporeal forehead.

The feeling was strange, like when you put your skin under water so cold that it burns. The last thing she saw was his sea green eyes.

"Thanks, Toushiro…"

*

The light enveloped her, but only for a moment. It gave her wings and some irrepressible urge made her flutter toward the sky. Once the decisive little consciousness had ascended far enough, she felt the world disappear beneath her and the greyish blue was replaced with a complete blackness. It made her uncharacteristically frightened and for a moment, she just floated about with no goal in this thick, sticky darkness.

Then he was there.

_Did you think konso was merely sending the soul on its way? For being so well educated, my dear, you haven't thought very hard about this, it seems._

The icy blue dragon wrapped its wings around her and shielded her from the uncomfortable dimension outside. All that was left was the comfortable softness of the dark.

_You are… Toushiro's…_

_Yes, I am Hyorinmaru. He sent you on, carrying my mark, so that I would find you in this place between the worlds._

There was the feeling of _movement_, even though the dragon's mighty wings were still and the world around her was a solid, unchanging black.

_I'm not actually speaking, am I?_

_No. You have no voice here, merely a mind and its thoughts._

_How long will we be here, Hyorinmaru?_

_For as long as it takes. Until your soul is ready to take the final step._

_I feel ready._

_Not yet. You are young and hasty, you mistake your own willingness and bravery for being ready to leave all your past behind. One thing in particular ties you to the World of the Living Souls. Can you imagine what this might be, young Kurosaki?_

_You mean… you mean I have to let go of Yuzu? And Ichi-nii?_

_Correct. You need not completely give up your memories of them, or your hope of ever seeing them again, but this death is yours, not theirs._

_So that's why you're here?__ Does Toushiro and Ichi-nii know all this? _

_Correct, that is why I am here. Shinigami use the power in a zanpaktou's spirit to fight Hollows and those who would harm the cycle of rebirth. That was not our original task, though we have performed it for many centuries. We zanpaktou were born to go where the Shinigami cannot, to protect and guide the helpless here… on the precipice of Death in its truest form._

_You talk kind of like Toushiro, all high and mighty. I'm glad you're here, though. Don't think I didn't notice you avoiding my other question._

_Haahhh… you are indeed much like your brother. He asked a similar question. The simplest answer is no and yes. All Shinigami know instinctively that there is more between the worlds than emptiness and all Shinigami who know the name of their zanpaktou can feel the way we echo in harmony with this realm… but no. They have no memory of this place; and once you reach Soul Society, neither will you._

_This is way more complicated than I imagined._

_You'll catch on eventually, little one… all face their own death, in the end._

All face their own death. She was alone, she wasn't scared. She had been hoping to see Ichi on the other side and only now did it become clear that she had been much too caught up in that thought.

_We haven't seen each other in twenty years__… Ichi-nii and I. _

_This is true, young one._

_And even though I've spent so much time with Yuzu, we both knew that this day would come. Even if I'm alone, even if I could never see them again… I've had a good life. I don't need anything else to complete the circle; I've said all I needed to say._

_Then we can go on._

The darkness parted and the blue dragon shimmered like the air on a summer's day. For a moment, she thought she could see a man in its shadow, dressed in blue and green.

_Is that what I was supposed to figure out?_

A flash of something like amusement before the dragon and the vision inside him start to dissipate.

_Everyone must come to their own conclusion. Everyone must face their own death._

I open my eyes. The light hurts, after all that darkness. What darkness? I'm sure there was darkness, and something blue. Wings. I can't remember.

"Hey, come over here, we've got a new arrival." It's a voice I've never heard before.

So this is my death. I feel revived, young again. Maybe it's the start of something new.

* * * * *

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*

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A/N: Right. I've got ideas aplenty myself, but I'd like to take this opportunity to say something. I'd like to test my skills a bit, so I'm asking y'all to give me a suggestion of a plot bunny to write. If this goes well and if there's an interest from you guys, I'm considering doing something along the lines of Sakura-Angel2's "Ten", a bunch of shorties from requests. The only thing I won't do is HitsuHina. Rating is at max a high T, look at "Maybe That's Why I Need You" if you want to know where my limit is.

Oh yeah, and constructive criticism and other reviews are like cotton candy to my soul.


	2. the Rumour Mill

_Part 1,5 because I seriously don't consider this a whole fic and part 2 is my M-rate__d WIP fic "Accidentally in Love". Also, making this one part 2 would throw them off with the numberings on the chapters, which I'm a bit OCD about._

*

_If you know you'll forget something, you hold onto it so that you won't. Every sight, every sound, every smell and every feeling that reminds you of them is a cherished treasure. In the end, this is a tragically futile effort, for every time you force the memory… a tiny part of what made that memory important slips away from you, until all you have is a caricature of the past… and meeting __the thing that made this memory important will be surprisingly inaccurate with how you remember it._

**Characters**: (Ichigo, Hitsugaya, Karin)

**Year**: Soul Society Arc +73 ("Dearly Beloved Konso" +0)

*

_**Kurosaki**__**, K. (pt 1.5)**_

_**the Rumor Mill**_

"Have you heard?"

"Is it true?"

"You must be joking."

"A new soul, they say."

"An _old_ soul, maybe? How would they otherwise dare to ask a _taichou_ to run errands for them?"

"Impertinence."

"Why did he even do it?"

"Maybe it's Hitsugaya-taichou's love-interest."

"Shush you, gossip spreads fast."

"Are you sure this is true?"

"I heard it from our sixth seat. She may be a gossip, but _she_ heard it directly from Matsumoto-fukutaichou."

"It's highly unlikely."

"Someone saw Hitsugaya-taichou rush off to the Real World though."

"He only stayed long enough for, say, a _konso_."

"Or so they say."

"Yes, I heard something similar from Hinamori-fukutaichou."

"Don't go bragging about seeing the big-shots."

"They say it's another Kurosaki."

"Ah, come _on_, not even _you_ can believe that!"

Rumor spreads fast in Seireitei. The only ones who never hear are the ones who don't involve themselves in such business. Certain taichou, for example.

*

"Whoa. Kurosaki-taichou nearly blew up the building!"

"Yeah. Do you think there's anything to the rumors?"

"They started weeks ago, though; don't you think he would have acted sooner?"

"Seriously. Did you see the way he ran off toward Rukongai?"

"Yeah. Shunpo."

"So it must be _something_."

"Hitsugaya-taichou hasn't been acting any different than usual, though."

"No, but he's _Hitsugaya-taichou_."

Then again, nothing escapes a taichou forever and few things want to stand in the way of a determined Kurosaki.

*

"Did you see that?"

"Was that a Shinigami?"

"He was wearing a funny overcoat; he can't have been a _real_ Shinigami."

"He sure seemed to blur past fast enough to be dangerous, anyway."

"Why is it important anyway? He's gone already."

"Maybe he's _special_, who knows?"

"Heading for the outer districts like an idiot?"

"Well, wouldn't want to get involved with anything that happens around _there_."

In Rukongai, as in Seireitei, nothing ever really changes. This must be a harsh lesson to learn for someone who was hoping for something _new_.

*

"Who's there?!"

"I've got a proposal for you, girl…"

"As if. Now get the _hell_ out of here."

"We've been watching you for the last few days. You're alone."

"So?"

"This is Hellhound Gang turf. You want to live here, you go by our rules."

"Didn't you hear what happened to the last ones who tried to recruit me?"

"Yes, yes we did. So we figured _persuasion_ might work better."

"…"

"Bring the little rat forward."

"_Waah, I'm scared!_"

"You bastards let the boy go _now_! You _don't_ bring innocent kids into this shit."

"We're just proposing a deal, _nee-san_. You can come with us and everything will be fine, or you can resist and the little one gets it."

Even the inner districts of Rukongai can be dangerous at times. The outer parts… well, let's just say you want to stay invisible around there. Some would say that staying dead is preferable to living in the outer districts of Rukongai.

*

"Ichi… how did you find me?"

"I'll tell you all about _reiraku_ later. How are you feeling?"

"I'm good. I've got a headache, but otherwise fine."

"Karin… your ribs are probably broken. You've got a pretty nasty headwound, too."

"Don't worry so much. I'm glad you found me."

"Once I get you to fourth division, I'll go back and explain _thoroughly _to those bastards how it feels to get whacked."

"Gee, don't get so excited. It's just a few scrapes. It's a pretty rough place; they're doing it to get by, too."

Where goes the line between good and evil? What happens to the people who stay in the grey areas in between? Because, really, we're all a little bit in those grey areas, so the answer to that one is pretty important.

* * * * *

_reiraku _– "spirit threads", everybody's got one, and Shinigami reiraku are _red_.


End file.
